A little glimpse into our reading lives. What we love, what we hate, what we recommend, what we don't. We love to read and hope that you find our book blog fun & informative. Enjoy!

Friday, April 17, 2009

This month has not been a good reading month for me. I have picked up and started more books than I care to talk about...none have engaged me, really kept my interest. I have decided that there are far too many books out there for me to power through something that is not engaging to me. My to-be-read pile is huge and seriously none of the books I picked out were right. Most went back into the pile to be tried again. Just to be clear I read between 20 and 150 pages of each of the ones I ultimately set down - I think that is a valiant effort.

So, what did I do? Earlier this week I said, "ENOUGH! Jerrie just take a little reading break!" My self-dialogue was very intense. It is hard for me to not be reading a book. What if someone asks me what I'm reading? What do I say? "UH nothing?" That just feels...wrong. However, I did it. I was on a reading break. It was going to be good. I could tell. My hope was that no one would ask me what I'm reading...

Enter Wednesday. I love Wednesdays. Wednesday evenings in particular. On Wednesdays I take Archer (and usually a few other boys...) to Bellingham for Youth Group (it's called Mayhem - YIKES). I drop them off and take the next 2 hours to do whatever I want. Sometimes it is dinner with my siblings or a friend, sometimes I hang at the scrapbook store. Most of the time though I hit Barnes and Noble. Two hours in a store filled with books is practically Heaven. LOVE it. Lately I've been grabbing a stack of magazines (I've been trying to cut down on this particular purchase) and finding a chair - and possibly a coffee - and spending the next few hours engrossed in the many subjects of magazines available. It is amazing how many magazines are out there. Such fun.

This week I grabbed a few magazines and walked toward my chair (it is usually open for me - it is where I read one chapter of a biography a week...I've got a system here). As I was walking I glanced down at one of the tables filled with books and picked up a few in case I finished the magazines (one never wants to abandon their chair). One of the books that looked interesting to me is this one:I flipped through the book. Read the first few pages and was completely hooked. I needed this book. I had to read this book. And so, I bought this book. I've been trying not to buy books (another money saving technique), but they are my downfall. Books are good. Books make me read. So money for books? It is acceptable.

7 comments:

I let a book (or books) find me - like you did here. I love it when that happens. It happens to me at book stores and the library.

Sometimes I also ask friends for book recommendations - helps me find something great to jump into. Because, I honestly get irritated when mucking about it a so-so, or downright bad, book. I'm probably less patient than you... more on the 20-pages-and-you're-done rule

I love to have a book to read when I get a few free minutes, but I also struggle with really great books because then I just neglect my housework and READ!! But, hey, who wants to clean, anyway?

I buy enough books through Amazon that their "recommended for you" section is pretty good. I've found some great books on there.

I also switch between fiction and nonfiction. I find that if I'm in a rut and not finding anything, it's probably because I need that switch. I recently switched from nonfiction to fiction. I'd been reading a constant stream of nonfiction (mostly spiritual/quantum physics/mind-blowing stuff) for about three years. I decided to pick up the Eragon series and read it. Much to my delight, it's not only a good story, but it contains many of the messages I've been chewing on from my nonfiction reading... as they say, things go in cycles :)

And now, I think I have to go to the bookstore over lunch. An hour at B&N with a coffee and a stack of magazines sounds like a great way to spend my lunch hour!

Thanks to PaperbackSwap.com, I have a H-U-G-E stack of books to select from anytime I find myself in a rut. And my tastes are ecclectic (omg...did I spell that correctly?) enough that I can usually find something to make me happy. Sometimes I do find myself "between books" and I just have to wait it out. I've stumbled across some great authors/books just by reading my blogs, CNN.com, GoodReads, etc.

Right now I'm on a forced "book vacation" and I don't like it one bit! I have to read a book and write a paper for my class and I cannot allow myself to read anything else until it is done. Ugh! I should be working on it right now, as a matter of fact...

I take stacks and stacks home from the library and read the first chapter until I find a keeper. If it feels like work, I return it asap. Reading is my entertainment and relaxation, so it shouldn't feel like work.In the stack I take a wide variety of books, even some that I think I won't like. Hey, it's free.Or I take on another home improvement project and have no time to read...not as much fun but it can get me through a dry spell.Happy Reading!

I'm with Diet Goddess, PaperbackSwap.com is fabulous...I have a huge stack to choose from, if a book doesn't hook me I can set it aside at go back to it later - loooving that. Sometimes I don't think it's the book - it's just my inability to focus...I've had Kite Runner for years and have yet to get through it.

Do you do book reviews upon request? Do you accept PDF fles for review rather than a copy of the physical book as long as it is available? Is there an age limit or genre specific requirement for the books you’ll review?

Disclaimer

We love to read. We love to talk about books we have read. This being said, we don't want to intentionally *spoil* a book; however in the course of posting we may, unintentionally, give something away. We will try not to, but *stuff* happens. ☺